“We raising a generation of dummies!” Charles Barkley RIPS ‘dumb’ NBA players for to play offense during playoffs

Charles Barkley called out the zone defense during the game between OKC Thunder and the Pelicans.

“We raising a generation of dummies!” Charles Barkley RIPS ‘dumb’ NBA players for to play offense during playoffs

Charles Barkley was unhappy with Thunder's offense against the Pelicans' zone defense.

Today’s NBA defense has been an issue for the veterans of the game for quite a while now. The old-timers are not happy with the young players’ defense. During the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans, Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley got frustrated with the Thunder’s offense.

The New Orleans Pelicans set up the zone defense to slow down the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter. After applying this, the Thunder was unable to figure out the offense which resulted in Charles Barkley calling them out at half-time during TNT’s broadcast of Inside the NBA. 

The zone defense is the easiest defense in the world to play against…Dude, move the ball. The ball moves faster than any human. But these guys are so dumb…we're raising a generation of dummies
Charles Barkley on TNT

The Thunder’s score in the second quarter was significantly different than the first after the implementation of zone defense. However, fortunately, the Thunder were able to play good offense ahead in the game as they outscored the Pelicans 32-18 in the fourth quarter. The main reason behind the scoring is the Thunder’s MVP contender, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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Despite the Thunder’s win, there is some truth in Barkley’s statement. The young teams such as Oklahoma, focus mainly on pure offense without breaking down the defense and applying more ball movement. In playoffs, it is essential to focus and be powerful on both sides of the court strategically.

Charles Barkley believes the OKC Thunder will sweep the Pelicans

When the first-round matchups were out, the TNT crew chose their winning teams during the broadcast. Even before the playoffs started Barkley had faith in Thunder and chose them to sweep the Pelicans. According to Barkley, Zion Williamson‘s absence will benefit the OKC tremendously in the series.

The Thunder has been a great team with a good record in the Western Conference. The young roster even managed to top the standings multiple times during the regular season. However, Williamson’s injury will be the main reason for the Thunder’s victory per Barkley.

Without Zion, Oklahoma City gonna sweep the Pelicans. It would be a great test if they had Zion but without Zion, I think [Pelicans] get swept.

Charles Barkley on TNT

Sweeping the Pelicans seemed like a stretch at the time but now Barkley’s statement might come to life. The Thunder are 2-0 in the series as they got a whopping 124-92 win on Wednesday. Without Williamson, none of the Pelicans were able to score 20 or more points. The consecutive wins certainly make OKC’s chances of winning higher.

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